Read with Me
Genesis 9:7-17 (HCSB)
But you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out over the earth and multiply on it.”
Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, “Understand that I am confirming My covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you—birds, livestock, and all wildlife of the earth that are with you—all the animals of the earth that came out of the ark. I confirm My covenant with you that never again will every creature be wiped out by the waters of a flood; there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: I have placed My bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature. The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between Me and every creature on earth.”
Listen with Me
The flood had run its course and had accomplished the removal of all air-breathing life from the earth except that which God had specifically preserved on the ark. Now those creatures He had preserved needed to immediately begin the process of repopulating the world.
God had already sworn by Himself that he would never bring another world-ending flood on the earth (Genesis 8:21-22). Now, he communicated that promise clearly to Noah and his family, not just a promise, but a covenant with every living thing on the earth. With this assurance from God, Noah’s sons and their wives could have lots of children without fearing that they would simply be wiped out again in a generation or two.
This was important, because even though the world was fresh and new again, every person who had been on the ark had lost family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers in the flood. And the vast emptiness of the world continually underlined that sense of loss and instilled and understandable fear for the future.
To underscore God’s commitment in the covenant, He gave Noah and his family a sign. Rainbows were not a new thing. The have the potential to appear anytime that there is rain falling in front of a person with the sun at their backs simply because of the refraction of light through the raindrops. But just as Jesus filled the preexisting bread and wine of the Passover meal with fresh covenantal meaning, so God now filled the rainbow with fresh covenantal meaning.
In the future, whenever it rained, especially when it began to rain hard or when the rain lasted for days or even weeks, it would be understandable if people, especially those who had lived through the flood, had a stab of fear wondering if God’s judgment was falling again. In those times, when the rainbow appeared in the clouds, they could remember God’s covenantal promises and banish their fears in that reassurance that He would always be true to His word.
Pray with Me
Father, you do always keep Your word, although it is sometimes hard for us to remember that in challenging times and circumstances. And that’s where Your symbols come in: as reminders. When we share the Lord’s supper, the bread and wine remind us that our sins have been atoned for. When we see the cross and the empty tomb, it reminds us of Your soul-saving love for us, and the extreme lengths You were willing to go to in order to save us and to buy for us eternal life. And yes, when we see the rainbow, even today, we can still remind ourselves that even over thousands of years You continue to honor every one of your covenantal promises. Thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness. Amen.